Brewers agree to deal catcher George Kottaras to Athletics - MLB

UPDATE: According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Brewers are getting right-handed reliever Fautino De Los Santos.

SATURDAY, 4:02 PM ET: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the two clubs have reached an agreement on a deal. It’s not clear what the Brewers are getting in return, but it doesn’t figure to be much.

SATURDAY, 3:30 PM ET: According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, the Brewers are close to trading catcher George Kottaras to the Athletics.

Kottaras was designated for assignment earlier this week after Jonathan Lucroy was activated from the disabled list and Brewers decided to go with Martin Maldonado as their backup catcher. Brewers general manager Doug Melvin quickly came out and said that he was working on trading him to another team.

Kottaras is batting just .209 this season, but has a .409 on-base percentage, 29 walks and three homers over 116 plate appearances. In other words, he’s right up Billy Beane’s alley. The 29-year-old backstop owns a .221/.326/.402 batting line and a .728 OPS in the big leagues.

The Athletics have a lousy .198/.250/.269 batting line and a major-league worst .519 OPS from their catchers this season. Kurt Suzuki and rookie Derek Norris have shared playing time behind the plate recently.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle speculates that this could be a sign that Suzuki could be on the move. Slusser hears that the Rays, Dodgers and Angels are among the teams who are believed to have some interest. That may be a tough sell, as the 28-year-old is hitting just .213/.247/.273 with one home run and a .520 OPS this season. He is owed $6.45 million next season while his contract includes an $8.5 million club option for 2014 or a $650,000 buyout.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.